In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, we examined Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which he delivered on August 28, 1963 at the March on Washington. February is Black History Month, so let us continue our discussion of this remarkable event. I've copied some of the lines from Dr. King's speech below. Read them.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Dear Ms. Kimball,
The line in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's speech "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it's creed" is an important line in his speech. I think Dr. King had a vision and a dream that he knew could come true but in order for that to happen everybody had to join together and get past each others different skin types. He thought that if people could rise up and embrace all that people have in common rather then focusing
on their differences. They could unite and except each other, and human rights. This is what I think that sentence means in the speech.

Sincerely,
Sam

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/2/2015 01:17:06 pm

Dear Sam,

The meaning you mentioned is definitely what Dr. King was going for in his whole speech. But what does he mean exactly in this particular sentence? Why does he say rise up? What is a creed? Why does he include this quote in his speech: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,"?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sam

2/3/2015 10:42:58 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
You leave a good point, the words that I chose could count in other parts of the speech. For example, "I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice". This part in speech also shows rising up, embracing, and changes. All very important things. Ms. kimball, you were wright about how many parts of the speech all fit together and qualify for many thing. It makes it so that all of his word really get there full meaning and make a difference. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, inspired many people.

Sincerely,
Sam

Ms. Kimball

2/3/2015 01:17:26 pm

Dear Sam,

You are writing like me now! It sounds like something I would say. You may have a future as a teacher ;-)

I agree that Dr. King wanted the country to embrace change. He claimed that the country was not living by it's "creed" and needed to "rise up" and follow this creed. Nathan is trying to figure out what Dr. King means by "creed," too. The meaning of "creed" seems to be confusing. The "creed" is actually what Dr. King quotes. It's from a VERY important document in America's history. Can you figure out where that quote is from?

Thanks for your very thoughtful reply!
Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Nathan

2/3/2015 02:57:10 am

Dear Sam,
I agree, I think that the part of Dr. Kings speech says that everyone would unite. But what do you think he means when he says creed.
Yours truly,
Nathan

Reply

Alec

2/11/2015 09:04:55 am

Dear Sam,
How do you know the sentence means that people should unite and follow human rights? What was your inner thinking about this sentence Dr. King said? Just wanted know.
From, Alec

I think you did a really great job, you said what you think your text means and it was really clear. The only thing you forgot was to say what creed means, I think that you could've said that, but for the rest you really good job.

From Arim

Reply

Kaela

2/12/2015 12:32:27 pm

Dear Sam
Wow, those were some powerful worlds you said. They were all so true and made sense. Also, you chose a very important part of his speech to think about. You did a great gob and I enjoyed reading it very much.
Sincerely
Kaela

Reply

Nathan

2/3/2015 02:54:29 am

Dear class,
I picked the first part of Dr. Kings speech. Dr. King says, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed”, ‘creed’ means “A system of Christian or other religious belief; a faith”. This means that Dr. King is saying that he has dream that one day, America will rise up and live out of the true meaning of its religious group. I do not totally know what Dr. King means by that but I think that maybe he means that America will rise out of all the judgement christianity had...?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”, self-evident means obvious. We hold these truths to be obvious, and at the end, Dr. King says that all men are created equal. I think he is saying that it is obvious that all men (people) are equal and should be treated equal.
That is what I think of the first part of Dr. Kings speech.
Yours truly,
Nathan

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/3/2015 12:58:16 pm

Dear Nathan,

Great job looking up words and trying to make sense of a very tricky sentence. You're on the right track. You have to look further at the alternative definitions of "creed". The word "creed" also means, "a set of beliefs or aims that guide someone's actions," so it doesn't have to be religious. Dr. King says the nation should live by its creed, then he quotes part of that creed. Do you know what the "creed" is that he is referring to? Hint: It's pretty much THE most important document in America's history.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Nathan

2/4/2015 08:04:23 am

Dear Ms. Kimball

No I do not know the creed he is referring to, I don't have a dictionary at my house and google's meanings do not link up to the speech; ill have to look at it in the dictionary at school.
Yours truly,
Nathan

Sam

2/4/2015 06:02:22 am

Dear Nathan,
It's obvious that you did you research, or used your knowledge to really specify the meaning of, creed. Knowing that will really help understand, Dr. Kings words.

I can see by this you did your researched, I like that you were honest and sad that you don't really know what Dr. King meant by that , but you still did your best and wrote down what you think, including the meaning of creed.

From Arim

Reply

Layla

2/3/2015 04:45:51 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I think that the sentence "I have a dream that my four little chidren will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character," means that Martin Luther King Jr. wanted people to not judge others by their appearences, for example, the color of their skin. I think that he wants other people to judge one another based on their personality and how good of a person they are.
Sincerely,
Layla

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/3/2015 01:00:20 pm

Dear Layla,

I totally agree with you. Why do you think he mentioned his "four little children"?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Olivia D.

2/4/2015 07:01:41 am

Dear Layla,

I really enjoyed reading, I definitly agree.
Do think his four little children inspired him to write his speech?

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Layla

2/12/2015 11:43:22 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I think that MLK mentioned his four little children because he wanted to have an example of someone that he cared about and also wanted that his children to not be judged by their race. Additionally, I think that MLK mentioned his kids so that people would think of him of caring leader and father because he wants the best for his kids AND other people, which you would find out from the whole speech.
From,
Layla

Julia

2/4/2015 05:40:46 am

Dear Layla,

Great response! I definitely agree with you. I'm curious why you choose this sentence?

Julia

Reply

Talia

2/10/2015 08:47:05 am

Layla,
I agree with you! Do you think that he was just using his 4 little children to show lots of peopls not being judged by the color of their skin, or using his 4 little children as an example for people who have been judged by the color of their skin?
From,
Talia

Reply

SamG.

2/11/2015 09:11:11 am

Dear Layla,
I think what you said was spot on. I agree with you on how Dr Martin Luther King Jr wanted people to just see more than a first impression or appearance. He wanted people to really pay attention to each other's personalities and what makes everybody special.

Sincerely,
Sam

Reply

Nathan

2/12/2015 07:35:38 am

Dear Layla,
What do you think Dr. King means when he says "four little children".
Yours truly, Nathan

Reply

Yubin

2/12/2015 01:23:40 pm

Dear Layla,

What a great response! I definitely agree with your analysis! I reached the same conclusion.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Reply

Forrest

2/12/2015 01:34:27 pm

Dear Layla,

I think the same thing as you! I like how you did not say " by how they look" but you said "appearances". Great word choose. Great job explaining the question! I agree with you on how you should treat people of all skin colors by their personality. Do you think Dr. King was trying to get the same message across in all the pieces of the speech?

From,

Forrest

Reply

Talia

2/3/2015 06:12:01 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,
I will analyze this sentence: I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I am going to break this sentence into two different parts. The first will be ”I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression.” The second is “will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”
I think that the first part of the sentence is supposed to mean that even a state like Mississippi, a state that is so bad for African Americans can be changed.
I think the second part is supposed to mean that all of the places that were so unfair and mean to African Americans, would not only not be mean and unfair but would be kind and fair.
I think Dr.King wrote this sentence the way he did with the words that he used so that it would make sense to everybody.
From,
Talia

Reply

Layla

2/3/2015 12:57:18 pm

Dear Talia,
I like how you broke one sentence apart and analyzing it. Good job! I look forward to your next response.
From,
Layla

Reply

Talia

2/12/2015 10:19:44 am

Layla,
Thank you so much!

Ms. Kimball

2/3/2015 01:04:08 pm

Dear Talia,

Good job organizing your thinking. I agree that Dr. King believed that even the most racists places could become better. What's "injustice" and "oppression"? Why do you think he relates them to heat? Also, what do you think an "oasis of freedom and justice" is?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Talia

2/10/2015 08:38:22 am

Ms.Kimball
I think that an oasis of freedome and justice is supposed to mean a wonderful place full of freedom and justice. I think that injustice means not justice. i think that oppression means being treated badly.
From,
Talia

Layla

2/4/2015 11:02:33 am

Dear Talia,
I like how you broke one sentence apart and analyzed the parts in great detail. What do you think words like oppression and justice mean? I look forward to reading your future responses.
Sincerely,
Layla

Reply

Kaela

2/12/2015 12:43:34 pm

Dear Talia
You have chose a very important part of the speech that you talked about. I really enjoyed reading it. I liked how you made it clear that Dr.King made his speech make sense to everyone so that your blog post make sense to everyone. You have lovely ides.

Reply

Talia

2/13/2015 12:34:38 am

Kaela,
Thank you so much!
-Bob

Danny

2/3/2015 11:12:34 am

Dear Ms.Kimball
The paragraph I will be talking about is the one were Dr.King talks about his children the last one you mentioned. It means that if somebody looked at a black person you would not make fun of them, you would treat them nicely. Why I think Dr. King wrote this is because he wanted to inform people that everyone is not equal. He did many things to get equality this was just one.

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/3/2015 01:09:27 pm

Dear Danny,

Much better job with capitalization and punctuation!
Why do you think Dr. King mentioned his "four little children"? He doesn't want them to be judged by the color of their skin, but he would rather have them judged by something else. What does he mean?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

P.S. Your last sentence needs an "and". Where do you think it goes?

Reply

Sam

2/11/2015 09:18:18 am

Dear Danny,
I think what you said about the paragraph you analyzed and your words count for the whole speech. The way you worded it gave more meaning to Dr Kings words.

Sincerely,
Sam

Reply

Nathan

2/12/2015 07:34:36 am

Dear danny,
What do you think he means by four little children? Good job, too!
Yours truly,
Nathan

Reply

Yubin

2/3/2015 02:13:45 pm

Dear Class,

I chose the sentence “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

First, “I have a dream ” shows the reality is different from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision. Second, “my four little children will one day…” displays that Dr. King wanted the future of the young colored people to be different from the reality in those days. Third, “live in a nation ” means Dr. King believed his dream must come true not only in Georgia or Mississippi, but also in the whole United States. Fourth, “they will not be judged by the color of their skin ” indicates that, in reality, the African Americans were being judged by their skin colors at that time. Finally, “but by the content of their character ” implies that the content of people’s character should be common criterion of judging them, regardless of skin colors.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/4/2015 09:58:18 am

Dear Yubin,

Wow! What an organized, easy to follow response! You analyzed each part of the sentence very precisely and accurately. For the last part, what "content of people's character" do you think Dr. King believes we should judge one another on?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Yubin

2/5/2015 12:44:59 pm

Dear Miss Kimball,

I think the "Character" is what makes someone what he or she is. It includes not only what he or she believes in, but also how he or she behaves. And the word "Content" means contents; in other words, what is inside. In contrast, "The color of their skin" is an external thing.
In conclusion, I think Dr. King was insisting that people will be judged by their behavior and beliefs rather than by their apperance.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Sage W.

2/5/2015 01:36:20 pm

Dear Yubin,
I really liked your blog and how you split it up into four parts to clearly explain what Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. meant when he said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Can't wait to read your next blog!

Sincerely,
Sage W.

Reply

Yubin

2/6/2015 01:13:52 pm

Thanks Sage!

Talia

2/10/2015 08:50:56 am

Yubin
WOW! I had so much fun reading that! You did SUCH a great job analyzing that sentence!
Talia

Reply

Yubin

2/12/2015 01:18:30 pm

Dear Talia,

Thanks for the nice, friendly comment! You also did a great job on your response!

Yubin

Mikey

2/12/2015 01:15:30 pm

Dear Yubin,
Great job analyzing that phrase of the speech! I liked how you broke it up into parts and analyzed each one of them.
Sincerely,
Mikey

Reply

Alec

2/4/2015 05:13:44 am

Dear Class,
The sentence I chose was, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." The sentence is about that kids should not be judged by their skin color, but they should be judged by the content of their character. I think MLK Jr. chose those words because he wants people to stop people judging each other by skin color but by their character. Their abilities. How they interact. Thats how you judge people. He got his message across.

From, Alec

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/4/2015 10:03:18 am

Dear Alec,

I have some questions for you that I was hoping you could explain in more detail.
1. What are some other things, in addition to people's abilities and how they interact, that you think make up the content of people's characters?

2. Do you think Dr. King only wanted his kids (or all kids) to not be judged by the color of their skin? What about adults?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Alec

2/5/2015 11:53:04 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
The abilities to change the world is what I mean. Interact, l thought was the word but l don't know how to explain it. I think Dr. King wanted all his kids to not be judged by their skin. He also means that adults shouldn't be judged by their skin.

From, Alec

Julia

2/12/2015 07:31:02 am

Dear Alec,

I think you responded to the blog in a very clear way. I was wondering the same things as Ms. Kimball, but now I have a deeper understanding.

- Julia

Reply

Alec

2/13/2015 12:37:33 am

Thanks for the comment Julia!

From, Alec

Julia

2/4/2015 05:37:24 am

Dear Class,

I chose the sentence, "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." I think what Dr. King means by this is, the sons of slaves, which would be black people, and the sons of slave owners, which would be white people, will think of each other as equal. When he says "sit down together at the table of brotherhood" he really means they will be together as one, instead of there being a barrier between the two. He chose these words because they are very powerful, and you have to really think about it to understand them.

Sincerely,
Julia

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/4/2015 10:11:35 am

Dear Julia,

Very clear analysis of the sentence. I can see you tried to break down each part into its particular meaning. I feel like Dr. King could have just said that he wanted white people and black people to get along. But he chose to say it differently and more specifically. Can you imagine how hard it would be for "the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners" to get along? He had a dream that it could happen. I wonder if it actually did...

You said he chose to these words because you have to really think about them to understand them. Do you mean he wanted to confuse people?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Julia

2/12/2015 07:33:59 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,

When I said he chose the words because you have to think about them, I meant that he chose them so you wouldn't skip right over them, but analyze what his words meant.

Sincerely,
Julia

Sage P

2/12/2015 09:26:40 am

Dear Julia,
Wow, what a great response! I really liked how you broke the sentence down and it was really easy to understand. I also really liked how you really read between the lines of the text and made sense of it. Great response!
From,
Sage P.

Reply

Talia

2/12/2015 10:26:45 am

Julia,
I like how you used the word "barrier" to describe being separated. Why do you think that he said "The red hills of Georgia" instead of some other place?
From,
Talia

Reply

Rheona

2/4/2015 06:45:39 am

Dear class,

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I think the meaning of this section of this speech is about how the treatment they get is like a scorching hot day and you can't take it any more. Then finally when the segregation is over it is like finding a little oasis of coolness and water.

From,
RHEONA

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/4/2015 10:15:10 am

Dear Rheona,

I'm a little confused by your analysis. Here are a few questions for you to clarify to help me understand what you mean:
1. Who is "they"?
2. What kind of "treatment" are you talking about?
3. What does "finding a little oasis of coolness and water" feel like, and how does it relate to the "treatment" you mentioned above?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sage P

2/12/2015 09:32:15 am

Dear Rheona,
I really liked your response. I really liked how you made two separate paragraphs so that we could see the sentence you were writing about, and your response. Do you think you can dig any deeper than saying, " The treatment they get was like a scorching hot day," can you describe what that must feel like?
From,
Sage P.

Reply

Olivia D.

2/4/2015 06:57:46 am

Dear Class,

I will analyze the sentence "I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."

I think Martin Luther King was trying to say that Mississippi was so segregated that it got to the point were nobody could live a happy life without any problems. Later on when he says "Will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice." He is trying to say that he hopes some day the state of Mississippi will someday reunite into a place were people can carry on freely.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/4/2015 10:21:00 am

Dear Olivia,

When you say, "nobody could live a happy life without any problems," do you think Dr. King really wanted everyone to live their lives with no problems? Everyone has problems in their lives and overcoming those problems is what makes us learn and grow stronger. Dr. King knew that. There was a much more specific problem with the country that he was referencing.

Also, when you say, "some day the state of Mississippi will someday reunite into a place were people can carry on freely," what do you really mean? You may want to read more of Dr. King's speech to get more background information on what he was fighting for.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Olivia D.

2/6/2015 12:30:49 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

When I said "nobody could live a life without any problems," I meant no problems meaning segregation or the holocaust, problems that people should'nt have to go through. Everybody goes through problems and thats how we get stronger and face the world, but he did'nt want us to have to go though the life of when it was segregated.

Also when I said " Some day the city of Mississippi will reunite into a place where people can carry on freely," what I am trying to say is that Dr. King wanted Mississippi to join together even though their state was alwfully segregated, and stick together no matter how hard the times may be.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Ms. Kimball

2/9/2015 01:04:37 am

Dear Olivia,

Thank you so much for clarifying. It makes more sense when you relate your explanation to what Dr. King was fighting against, which was segregation and racism against African Americans.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Layla

2/4/2015 11:09:32 am

Dear Olivia D.,
Great response and analysis!!! In what way do you think MLK wanted people to reunite?
From,
Layla

Reply

Olivia D.

2/11/2015 12:17:48 pm

Dear Layla,

I think MLK wanted people to reunite by coming together after all of the difficult times and staying that way.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Forrest

2/4/2015 08:09:05 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

I chose “I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

First “ I have a dream“ tells me that he wants this to happen in the future. Next Dr King talks about his “four little children” but I think he is referring to everyone, not just his kids. When he says “will one day live in a nation” he is talking about how he hopes America will be a place where people treat you the same as everyone else, no matter what the color of your skin is. When he says “content of their character” he is talking about how you should be judged by how you act and by the kind of person you are.

I think he chose these words because they are strong and easy to understand. Racism was a big problem at the time and his speech really inspired people to change.

From,

Forrest

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/4/2015 10:24:30 am

Dear Forrest,

Very clear, organized, and accurate analysis! Great job breaking the sentence down into its individual phrases. That really helps! I agree with what you wrote. What do you think are some traits that Dr. King wanted people to be judged on instead of their skin color?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Forrest

2/12/2015 01:18:19 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,

Thank you for writing back. I think Dr. King is trying to tell you to treat people the way they want to be treated. No matter what color your skin is, it should not change how someone thinks about you because on the inside you could be a great person.

From,

Forrest

Marc

2/5/2015 11:34:36 am

Forrest,
Great job! I noticed that we understood Dr. King Jr.'s words in the same way. In my preference, I think that is a great thing for M.L.K. Because he wants everyone to understand what he is saying. Also, why did you choose that paragraph of M.L.K.'s speech?

From,
Marc

Reply

Alec

2/11/2015 09:24:57 am

Dear Forrest,
Can you please say a little more about the whole sentence is put together? I got lost in the words because there were too many parts. Other than that, it was a organized analysis. Great job!

From, Alec

Reply

Sofia

2/11/2015 12:33:18 pm

Forrest,
I really liked how you analyzed that line. I especially liked how you had analyzed that even though Dr.king mentioned his four children, that he was talking about everyone.
Sofia

Reply

Layla

2/12/2015 11:35:10 am

Dear Forrest,
I really like your response and analysis. It is very clear and detailed. I completely can tell you put a lot of time into your response and I agree with all the points you made.
From,
Layla

Reply

Sofia

2/5/2015 10:18:22 am

Class,
I chose the line of Dr.Kings speech: "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."
To me, just starting the sentence with "I have a dream" makes me think that this is a large goal he wants to achieve, and that it is a goal he has thought about a lot, not something he just thought of off the top of his head.
"The red hills of Georgia", since Georgia was one of the most racist states during this time, and because this speech is about slavery and unfairness because of skin color, makes me believe that Dr. King wanted fairness everywhere, even where it was worst.
"The sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." This last chunk is probably like that part in the movie where everything is suddenly alright and it just leaves you going "Wow". I think this last piece means that even though this has happened for so long, it can still change. Just because it's been going on for however long, doesn't mean it's right, it doesn't mean we can't change it today.
Sofia

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/9/2015 01:16:22 am

Dear Sofia,

Great job analyzing each part of the sentence in detail. I definitely agree that Dr. King thought about the issues in his speech deeply, which is why the speech was so powerful.

At the last part, you reference a "movie where everything is suddenly alright." What about the speech made you think of it that way?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sofia

2/11/2015 12:36:53 pm

Ms. Kimball,
Even though the speech was talking about something very bad, I compared it to the part of a movie where everything is alright. That is because it gives me the same feeling, where you suddenly hear or see something unexpected but it all makes sense. It's shocking, but it makes you happy, too.
Sofia

Talia

2/12/2015 10:33:08 am

Sofia
I really like how in the second paragraph you didn't just say that MLK's dream was like a goal. You said that it was a goal that he has thought about a lot, and actually cares about. He wants to acheve the goal.
From
Talia

Reply

Layla

2/12/2015 11:30:52 am

Dear Sofia,
Wow!! What a great response! Good job on making it very clear and detailed. I completely agree with all the things that you said.

From,
Layla

Reply

Sage W.

2/12/2015 01:39:28 pm

Sofia,

I really like how you used the movie ending as a reference, great response!

Reply

Marc

2/5/2015 11:30:28 am

Class,
I will analyze Martin Luther king Jr. words "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I think that when he says "I have a dream that my four little children" I think he's not only referring to his children, but also everybody else, because he wants his rights for his children, AND everyone else. Next, when he says: "will one day live in a nation" he doesn't just want his state to be equal, but he wants the whole country to be equal. Then, when he says: "where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" is where he wraps it all up. He wants them to be equal and be noticed of their personality. He does not want them to be treated how they look.

I think he chose those exact words because they are very string and relate to the subject. In addition to that, I think he chose them because you can understand them so well, but yet they seem like they are great vocabulary.

Sincerely,
Marc

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Ms. Kimball

2/9/2015 01:23:29 am

Dear Marc,

Very clear and thoughtful analysis of the sentence. Good job breaking down each part to explain its meaning. I agree that Dr. King's words are very stirring. He was hoping to call people to action, and the best way to do that is to move them with a sense of passion and urgency. I liked how both you and Forrest shared the same interpretation of this line. You made a good point that Dr. King probably wanted it that way. He wanted his meaning clear.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

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Marc

2/12/2015 09:33:50 am

Ms. Kimball,
I think that if Forrest and I understood the speech the same way, it was a success for Dr. King Jr. I think that because M.LK. wanted to get a really powerful message, but at the same time he wanted everyone to understand it in the same way. I also agree that the best way to call people to action is to move them with a sense of passion and urgency.

From,
Marc

Sage P

2/5/2015 12:11:55 pm

Dear Class,
I chose the sentence “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” I think “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin” means that anyone in the world who has black skin will not be judged by the skin or made fun of, by their skin color. I also think “they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” means whatever they look like, they should be treated by their personality and not what they look like. This makes me think about the quote “don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” I think Martin Luther King Junior is trying to say that with black people, and how they should be judged on their personality and not what they look like.
From,
Sage P.

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/9/2015 01:47:47 am

Dear Sage,

That was clever how you related Dr. King's line to the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover." There is definitely a strong tie there. Dr. King certainly wanted people to look deeper that just what they see when judging a person. Do you think Dr. King's dream for this idea came true?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sage P

2/12/2015 09:21:25 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I don't think Dr. King's dream became entirely true, because most parts of the world people are still being judged by the color of the skin and not the character or personality. I think only part of Dr. Kings dream came true.
From,
Sage P

Sage W.

2/5/2015 01:31:36 pm

I choose the sentence "I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."

I think that the part "I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression," shows how Mississippi was so segregated before, and that it has injustice (which basically means unfairness). Then later on in this sentence Dr.King says "Will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice." An oasis is a small green area in a dessert that usually has some sort of source of water. But Dr.King says "An oasis of freedom and justice." so he means an oasis of happiness not an actual oasis.

Sincerely,
Sage W.

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/9/2015 01:50:27 am

Dear Sage,

I agree, Dr. King isn't dreaming of an actual oasis. Why do you think he used words like "heat" and "sweltering"? How do you think those ideas relate to the "oasis" idea?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Sage W.

2/12/2015 07:42:20 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,

I think sweltering and heat is in the speech because those words are slightly describing a desert and an oasis is a "Happy place" in a dessert.

Alec

2/11/2015 09:15:00 am

Dear Sage,
I really like how you organized your analysis. You split the sentence in 3 parts. It made it really easy to follow. I also like that in your conclusion, you explained the oasis thing but you made the reader understand what Dr. King really wants to get across. Keep up the good work Sage!

From, Alec

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Mikey

2/7/2015 02:01:41 am

Blogs Ms. Kimball

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I am going to analyze the phrase"I have a dream that one day my four little children will one day be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I picked this phrase because it seems to me like the most powerful part of his speech because that dream came true for almost all of america. It is like the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" because they both mean do not judge someone by what they look, you really have to get to know them before you can tell if they are a good person or not.
He used his own children as an example because they meant a lot to him, and they were probably good people, too, but they still were judged badly because of the color of their skin. The whole speech seemed very powerful, but I think I enjoyed this part the most.
Sincerely,
Mikey

Reply

Ms. Kimball

2/9/2015 01:57:40 am

Dear Mikey,

You are clever to note that this sentence seems to be the most powerful in Dr. King's speech. This sentence is most often cited by people who reference the speech because it packs the most meaning. Great job analyzing it. I agree with you that Dr. King used his children as an example because they mean so much to him. What father --black or white-- could listen to that sentence and not feel the same hope for his own children? That is one feature that is so amazing about Dr. King's speech: he used ideas that everyone could relate to.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Reply

Mikey

2/12/2015 01:08:24 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I liked how you said that the phrase "Packs the most meaning." I agree that he used ideas that everyone could relate to. I forgot to mention that when he says "... but by the content of their character.", I think he means that you really have to know someone for who they are, and not just assume that they are a bad person because of the color of their skin.
Sincerely,
Mikey

Marc

2/12/2015 09:37:54 am

Mikey,
I really liked how you used the expression "don't judge a book by its cover". I like that because it relates very well, and everybody knows what you mean by it. Anyways, great job!

Sincerely,
Marc

Reply

Kaela

2/11/2015 11:35:30 am

Dear class
I chose to do "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." I think he is trying to say he wants his dream life for his kids. The free life that everyone is equal and a place ware judging is a thing of the past and everyone lives happily ever after, the end. Now wate he also says that people should be judged by caricature and I agree if you are a bully you should be treated bad white skin or not. Or if you are nice you should be treated nicely white skin or not.
Sincerely
Kaela

Reply

Talia

2/13/2015 12:42:41 am

Kaela,
I like how clear your responce was. I disagree with you in one way, though. I don't think that MLK was saying that all bullies should be treated bad. He was saying that everyone , black or white should be treated with respect.

The text I chose was "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed" I think what Dr. King means with this is that he thinks this country should live out the true meaning of it's beliefs. And similar with what Sam said that Martin Luther king jr. has a vision and knows it will only come true if everyone works together. And I know that Dr. King mean's in this sentence, but not just this sentence, the whole entire speech for people to have equal rights.

From Arim

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